Published: March 30, 2016

Juggling. Origami. Group sculpture projects. See….Math is fun.

This is the underlying message behind the first Mathematics and the Arts Festival being held Friday and Saturday, April 1-2, at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The free event, sponsored by the CU-Boulder Department of Mathematics and co-organized byRob Tubbs, professor of mathematics,and Beth Stadeof the STEM Learning Center, welcomes members of the community of all ages, along with K-12 teachers from the Boulder Valley School District who can receive professional development activity credit for attending.

In partnership with Bridges MoSAIC, the festival is a collaborative effort sponsored and funded by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) and administered by , the world’s largest interdisciplinary conference in mathematics and the arts. The festival will feature talks, workshops, hands-on activities with music, Zometools, juggling lessons from famous Pearl Street Mall performers and more.

There will also bea session on mathematics in the art of M.C. Escher, mathematical mural painting at Libby Hall, as part of the Libby Arts Residential Academic Program, and an exhibit of mathematically inspired fine art.

“People often believe that mathematics is computation, all about getting right or wrong answers. This event is about celebrating the creativity, funand beauty of mathematics,” Stade said.“At its heart, mathematics is the exploration of pattern, and wherever there is pattern there is math, so you can find lots of math in the arts.”

The event runs from 4 p.m. to 7p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdayin the Visit this for a complete schedule.

Contact:
Beth Stade, CU Center for STEM Learning, 720-401-7472
stadee@colorado.edu
Julie Poppen, CU-Boulder media relations, (O) 303-492-4007, (M) 720-503-4922
julie.poppen@colorado.edu

Children creating colorful paper sculptures
“People often believe that mathematics is computation, all about getting right or wrong answers," said co-organizer Beth Stade of the CU Center for STEM Learning. "This event is about celebrating the creativity, fun and beauty of mathematics. At its heart, mathematics is the exploration of pattern, and wherever there is pattern there is math, so you can find lots of math in the arts.”